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HISTORY, ISSUES, AND TRUTH in ARAKAN/RAKHINE STATE, WESTERN BURMAby Rick HeizmanI am disturbed to see that there is so much deception, fraud, and manipulation of the media about the situation in Rakhine State, Burma. So many people - even those who seem to know a lot about Burma - don’t know the history, and the truth and reality of the Buddhist Rakhine people. I am writing this to explain the real reasons, and the truth about what is happening in Rakhine State, in the western part of Burma/Myanmar. This is based on the history of the region, and upon real experience in Rakhine State.I was last there about 8 months ago - November, 2011.
Rakhine, (also spelt Rakhaing), and Arakan basically mean the same thing, and refer to the culture, language, ethnicity, and continuously populated homeland of the Buddhist people of the area. Rohingya is a new name for the more recent Muslim immigrants who were formerly called Bengali Muslims, or Chittagong Muslims (which indicate their roots).
Rakhine State of Burma borders Bangladesh. The capital of Rakhine State is Sittwe (old name Akyab). The largest historical archeological site is Mrauk U, the last great Rakhine capital (1430-1784) at it's time one of the richest cities in Asia.
Bangladesh is a new country (1971), originally part of various ancient 'Indian' Hindu or Buddhist kingdoms, later Muslim conquests brought Islam, then it became part of the British Indian Empire, gained independence in 1947 as East Pakistan (as one country linked with West Pakistan 1000 miles away) and became independent as Bangladesh in 1971.
THE BASIC TRUTHThe basic truth (explained below with real history and facts) is that the Buddhist Rakhine people are under a real and brutal campaign to seize their centuries old cultural homeland and turn it into an Islamic State, without other people or religions tolerated. This has already happened in parts of Rakhine State near the Bangladesh border in the area of Maungdaw and Buthidaung. The Rakhine have never taken over or invaded other lands - they have lived in their ancient homeland continuously. The Buddhist Rakhine people have suffered massive slaughters, and been forced and burned out of hundreds of towns and villages in the last 100 years. They know - from bitter experience that the Muslims have NO respect for the Buddhist people and culture, and will destroy any Buddhist temples, monasteries, and holy places - as has happened already in parts of Rakhine. Below, I will explain why even Bangladesh hates the Rohingya, and will not help them, or let them live in Bangladesh.
The Rakhine people are in engaged in a struggle that is similar to other struggles in the area:
Southern Thailand: about 5000 Thai Buddhist - including Buddhist monks tortured and beheaded - killed in recent years by fanatic Muslims trying to drive out and eliminate the Buddhist population, and turn southern Thailand into an independent Islamic state.
Southern Philippines: constant kidnappings, beheadings, and killing of Christian Filipino's, goal to make an independent Islam-only separate country.
Non-Muslim parts of Indonesia: hundreds of Christian churches burned and destroyed, Christian school girls beheaded walking to school; currently imams and leaders are calling for Indonesians to go wage holy war on the Burmese.
Bangladesh: fifty years ago it was about 28% Hindu, after forcing millions of Hindus to flee the Hindu population is less than 9%, and still becoming smaller. The small Buddhist population is treated terribly, and Buddhist temples and monasteries and homes are looted and burned. All the ancient temples, stupas, and ruins from nearly 2000 years of Buddhist kingdoms have been completely destroyed.
THE HISTORYThe Rakhine area has a history of kings and kingdoms dating back over 2000 years. It has had a deeply Buddhist tradition from the early centuries AD. The second largest ruined city and temple site in Burma - Mrauk U - is in Rakhine State, and is the spiritual center of the Rakhine identity.
Now I'll skip up to the British days, and how the British, unknowingly, helped create the present problems.
The British, in Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, and other places, brought in Indian and/or Chinese men to be the plantation or other business managers. The British brought many Muslim Indians from Bengal to Rakhine because Bengal was close and convenient. These managers - instead of hiring local Rakhine people to work - sent for thousands of their fellow Muslim Bengalis to come and work. Most of these Bengalis were influenced by the Islamic Faraidi movement in Bengal at that time (late 1800s) which was based on the ideology of the Wahhabis of Arabia (this is before the Saudi tribe took over and named Arabia after themselves). The Bengalis were instructed to build their own - Muslim only - villages near the water resources (so that they could later control the water, and deny it to the Buddhist). And, they were told to prepare to wage a holy war (jihad) when their leaders felt they were ready and strong enough.
In the Maungdaw Township alone, around 1910, only 15 Muslim managers brought in thousands of Bengali workers - starting a huge population shift - and began the campaign against the Buddhist.
In 1939 The British established a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the rapid increase of Bengali Muslims in Arakan from roughly 30,000 in 1825 to 220,000 in 1930. That Commission concluded that there would be violence in the very near future if the relentless Bengali Muslim movement across the border wasn't stopped or at least restricted.
And the Commission was right.
WORLD WAR II DAYSIn early 1942, as the Japanese were advancing towards Arakan, the British formed a battalion of Muslims - called the Bengali V Force - and gave them weapons. The British knew them as better fighters then the Rakhine. As the British suddenly retreated - the Bengali Muslims quickly used the weapons - not against the Japanese - but they used them to slaughter thousands and thousands of Buddhist and burned down all of the Buddhist villages, pagodas, temples and monasteries in the Maungdaw and Buthidaung areas. About 30,000 Rakhine Buddhist were killed in this absolute genocide, and tens of thousands were ethnically cleansed from their ancestral lands. By late 1942 the whole Maungdaw-Buthidaung region was firmly in the hands of Bengali Muslims - who were now well armed with abandoned Japanese and British weapons.
Since they controlled the border now, the movement of Muslims immigrants greatly increased - and this area, which had been almost entirely Buddhist for centuries was violently emptied of Buddhist in a very short time, and became nearly entirely Muslim - and with plans to take more land, and to make it entirely Muslim.
This is quoted from a British officer, at that time in 1942, who wrote a report: "I have been told the harrowing tales of cruelly and suffering inflicted on the Arakanese (Buddhist) villages in the Ratheedaung area. Most of the villages on the west bank of the Mayu river have been burnt and destroyed by the (Bengali-Muslim) V Force. The enemy (Japanese) never came near to these villages. Hundreds of villagers are said to be hiding in the hills. It will be the Arakanese who will be ousted from their ancestral land and if they cannot win over (the Muslims) in time, then there can be no hope of their salvation."
After the Japanese were driven out, Bo Yan Aung, one of the 'Thirty Comrades' was sent to Arakan to set up the administration in Sittwe district, and to stop the violence. He sent his two lieutenants, Bo Yan Naung and Bo Myo Nyunt to Maungdaw to negotiate with the radical Muslim leaders. Instead of talking to them the Muslim leaders killed both of them.
They wanted this land to be their own and they wanted to create a Dah-rul-Islam - an Islamic kingdom that will join with others, as Muslims eliminated the non-Muslims everywhere - and eventually create a world of pure Islam.
Now the Buddhist really saw what was happening - that they were going to lose their lives, their culture, their ancestral homeland, and their history if this kept going.
THE KORAN JUSTIFIES TAKING LAND FROM INFIDELS (NON-MUSLIMS)Qur’an 33.27 And He made you heirs to their land and their dwellings and their property, and (to) a land which you have not yet trodden, and Allah has power over all things. Qur’an 21:44 Do they see Us advancing, gradually reducing the land (in their control), curtailing its borders on all sides? It is they who will be overcome.
As World War II ended, the British took control again, but the Muslims would not accept the Buddhist to come back to and live in their native villages (that they were forced out of). They now believed that they had their own area now that was to be a strict Muslim land ruled by Sharia Law, and they would not accept being in a country ruled by infidel British or infidel Burmese (infidel means non-believer, or non-Muslim). Instead they planned to join the soon-to-be Islamic country of Pakistan. As the British were preparing to give independence to Burma, the Muslim leadership -represented by the Jami-atul Ulema-e Islam party - made connections with the Muslim leaders of soon-to be Pakistan and formed an insurgency army - which would invade Arakan and attach it to East Pakistan (now known as Bangladesh). In 1946 they formed the Muslim Liberation Organization (MLO) and started their war. In 1948 they changed the name of the party to Mujahid Party and the insurgency then became known as the Mujahidin Insurgency. (Mujahadin means: Muslim fighters engaged in a Jihad). (Jihad means: holy war in the name of Islam).
In August of 1947 the Commissioner of Arakan wrote a report after an official was brutally murdered by Muslims in Maungdaw. He wrote: "The assassins were suspected to be employed by the Muslim Police Officer, and have been organizing strong Muslim feelings and dominating the whole area. This is a direct affront and open challenge to the lawful authority of the Burma Government, by the Muslim community of Buthidaung and Maungdaw Townships……Unless this most dastardly flouting of the government is firmly and severely dealt with, this alien community will try to annex this territory, or instigate Pakistan to annex it."
AFTER BURMA GAINED INDEPENDENCEOn January 4, 1948, Burma became independent. This meant nothing to the Muslims - they had other plans. On June 9, 1948 the Mujahid Party sent a letter to the new government of The Union of Burma. It was a list of demands, including:
1. The areas between the Kaladan and Naaf rivers must be recognized as the National Home of the Muslims of Burma (and this is the land they had ethnically cleansed of Buddhist in the last 6 years!)
2. The Mujahid Party must be granted legal status as a political organization in the new government of Burma (and this party preaches holy war against the Buddhist who have lived there for centuries!)
3. The Mujahidin fighters who had been captured and jailed (for slaughtering Buddhist, and burning and destroying villages, temples and monasteries) must be unconditionally released. and those were just three of the demands…..
The new central government, still trying to recover from the assassination of Bogyoke Aung San, refused these outrageous demands, and quickly the Muslims in northern Arakan declared jihad (holy war) on Burma.
The Mujahadin launched a vicious campaign and destroyed all the Buddhist villages in northern Maungdaw Township (the southern parts had been destroyed 6 years earlier). On July 19, 1948 they attacked Ngapruchaung, and villages around it, and used a new tactic - kidnapping Buddhist monks, and holding them as hostages, and killing them if they didn't get the money or conditions that they demanded.
U NU MISTAKINGLY FUELS THE PROBLEMDuring the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, most of Burma was tangled in rebellions, communist insurgencies, and much strife and confusion. The new government (after Bogyoke Aung San's assassination in 1947, and up to the coup and takeover by Ne Win in 1962) of the 'Union of Burma was barely in control and was in danger of collapsing entirely. The leader - U Nu - at a critical time, was in danger of the parliament issuing a 'vote of no-confidence' and stripping him of power. To survive, he needed all the help he could get. He could not count on support from the Rakhine parliamentarians, because the Rakhine supported the opposition against U Nu. There were some Muslims in the parliament, and U Nu was willing to promise them anything if he could get their much needed votes of confidence. In June 1958, U Nu's faction of the government, survived the very close vote, because he got the Muslim and Mon (and some others) to vote for him - because he promised to create states for the Mon people (on the east side of Burma) and for the Muslims (on the west side of Burma), and to grant citizenship to the 'Bengali Muslims' in Burma. (The word 'Rohingya' was still not widely known or used).
On July 31, 1958, U Nu offered an amnesty to all Mujahid insurgents who would surrender. Some Mujahid surrendered. They and other Bengali settlers asked for citizenship, but other events were quickly beginning to unfold. In September, 1958, high ranking officers of the Burma Army went to U Nu's residence and gave him an ultimatum - give up his power and accept the transfer of power to the military or there will be a military coup against him (which could imprison or kill him), and in fact these officers already had their troops take the airport and townships less than 10 miles away.
U Nu had no choice - he was out of power, and his promises of statehood and citizenship were out (and realize that these promises were calculated and made in desperation in order to stay in power). A military care-taker government, led by General Ne Win took over and promised elections in two years, and in 1960 held the promised elections - which actually voted U Nu back into power! He had to give those who helped him quick thanks, and he forced the reluctant Voice-of-Burma radio to broadcast a regular program in Bengali language to partly satisfy the Muslim Parliamentarian members who helped him.
They wanted more. Thousands and thousands of illegal Bengali Muslims demanded and received Burmese Identity Cards. And he established the Maungdaw Special-Border-District which would be controlled by the Muslims - which meant that the Muslims would now control the border! It's like the fox being told to guard the chickens!
Now the Bengali Muslim leaders tried to have their people defined as an 'indigenous ethnic group of Burma' like Kachin, Mon, Pa-O, Chin, Palaung, etc., and therefore be eligible for citizenship. Now, instead of using the terms Bengali-Muslim or Chittagong-Muslim (which indicate that they came from outside Burma) they generally used the term 'Arakan Muslims' to deceive people, and convince the world that they, also, are part of the Arakan identity.
The obvious problem was that all the other ethnicities had deep roots and long history in their homelands, but the 'Arakan Muslims' did not, and were the only ones who came in huge waves of immigrants, fought with and took land and property from the real indigenous people, and had an agenda to have only their own fellow Muslim people in a purely Islamic State that would not be a part of the infidel union of Burma. Their demands for recognition as an 'indigenous ethnic group' was turned down, on the grounds that they were never part of the indigenous people of Arakan, and that they were quite simply - recent, or recent enough (a generation or two) immigrants settling on land they had never been part of. The term 'Arakan Muslim' failed it's sly purpose, and now the term 'Royingya' started to be used.
U Nu was, once again, tangled in power struggles, and in the promises he made but couldn't or wouldn't fulfill.
On March 2, 1962, General Ne Win used this situation as reason to stage a military coup and seized power. The constitution was suspended, the Voice-of- Burma radio program in Bengali language (and in Mon language) were quickly stopped, and U Nu was imprisoned.
And, the name 'Rohingya' disappeared for 10 years.
THE INVENTION OF THE 'ROHINGYA' and THE MANIPULATION OF HISTORY AND FACTSDuring the 1950's, the term 'Rohingya' was invented, and it started to spread around, slowly becoming a replacement word for Bengali-Muslim, or Chittagong-Muslim, but only much later it became the common name.
In 1960 the Mujahid insurgency was finally defeated by General Ne Win. Then the Muslim leadership realized that they needed a new story about the Muslims in Arakan - and they embraced a new identity - and they now called themselves 'Rohingya'.
This new word helped to make it much easier to manipulate media and opinion. The terms Bengali-Muslim and Chittagong-Muslim obviously indicate that they came from outside Burma, and that they had roots in, Bengal or Chittagong.
The term Rohingya carries no similar meaning, making it much easier to spread the 'new history' which now says that the Rohingya actually have been inhabitants of this land for a long time.
WHY BANGLADESH HATES THE ROHINGYA, AND WILL NOT HELP THEMWhen India was granted independence in 1948, the two Muslim areas - on the west side and the east side of India- but not joined - were made into the Islamic country of Pakistan. (The Muslims demanded their own country).
Later, tensions and issues between them blew up into a bloody war and the eastern part fought to become independent from the dominant western part.
In late 1971 the eastern part became the new country of Bangladesh.
The Muslims in Arakan actually - and strangely - supported the far western part (Pakistan), and not the neighboring Bangladesh part, perhaps because they favored the more extreme Islam of Pakistan.
After Bangladesh became independent the Bangladeshis were furious at the Chittagong or Bengali-Muslims living in Burma, and disowned them, and treated them as traitors, and even still, now, Bangladesh will not forgive or forget that, and will not accept them. They ARE the same people - Bengali or Chittagong-Muslims - from the same area, and speak the same language.
There is no tribal or ethnic difference. But if your parents or grandparents supported Pakistan at that time you are not accepted. Many Rohingya manage to sneak into Bangladesh, and are in terrible refugee camps, where recently, Bangladesh has banned foreign aid organizations from helping the refugees!
So, the Muslims of Arakan needed an identity of their own - and a new word - the 'Rohingya' was invented.
And, a bit about Bangladesh, and Pakistan… and India -
Bangladesh and Pakistan are examples of what the Rakhine Buddhist do not want to see. In East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), in 1948, the population included 28% Hindu people. Now it is 9%. Why? Because the Hindus have been slaughtered many times, and threatened and pressured to leave.
In Pakistan, in 1948, there were about 20% Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh. Now they total about only 1%. India has actually built a 1790 mile long fortified steel and barbed wire fence along it's long border with Bangladesh - for the purpose of keeping out Islamic terrorist, migrant workers taking Indian jobs, and uncontrollable waves of Royingya or other Muslims.
India also has a similar 1000 mile long fence on its border with Pakistan - primarily to keep Muslim terrorist out. Burma has no such border fence on any of its borders.
DURING GENERAL NE WIN'S DICTATORSHIPThe word 'Rohingya’ disappeared when General Ne Win seized power in a coup in 1962, then reappeared in 1972, disappeared again after Muslim demands for an autonomous Islamic State were turned down (again), reappeared briefly in 1978 after a major offensive by the Burmese Army against another Mujahid insurgency (and in 'Ne Win style' it was bloody and severe, with many civilian casualties), and, again, it reappeared in 1991, after a second major offensive by the Burmese Army.
On May 13, 1988, the anniversary of the 1942 Bengali V-Force massacre of 30,000 native Rakhine Buddhist, the Rohingya Liberation Organization (RLO) led 50,000 Bengali-Muslims to try to quickly and violently take over the Maungdaw Township. They first destroyed a big Buddhist Monastery and then began to burn all the wards where Rakhine Buddhist lived, and attempted to kill ALL Rakhine people in this area. But, their genocidal plan was stopped by the local army reinforced police force, and ever since then some Burmese Army units have been permanently stationed there to prevent another genocidal attack by the Bengali-Muslims.
Disturbing to many is the fact that for several years leading up to this, Ahmed Shah, the Chairman of the RLO distributed copies of his cassette tape - for free - urging the Rohingya in Maungdaw township to drive all non-Muslims out of the district, basically calling for the genocide of Rakhine Buddhist, and any other non-Muslims in that area.
The RLO also made and distributed tens of thousands of leaflets - with photos of pretty Rakhine girls - to entice the Bengali-Muslims in Bangladesh to come to Burma, where there was plenty of food, and every Rohingya man should try to marry four Rakhine Buddhist Women and convert them into Islam, and help the bigger plan of making this land an Islamic State for Muslims only.
AL QAEDA AND TALIBAN TRAINING, EXPLOSIVES AND HEAVY WEAPONS COURSES IN AFGHANISTAN AND LIBYAThere have been numerous Rohingya captured in Afghanistan in battle, or at terrorist training camps. Intelligence services of several countries have reported such items as: 90 members of the Arakan Rohingya National Organization (ARNO) were selected to attend a guerrilla warfare course, explosives course, and heavy-weapons courses held in Libya and Afghanistan in August 2001. 5 members of ARNO attended a high-ranking officers' course with Al Qaeda representatives in May 2000. They discussed military affairs, weaponry, and getting financial help from Osama bin Laden. Numerous contacts and connections and assistance from Islamic jihad groups in southern Thailand, southern Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and others.
MANIPULATION OF MEDIA TO CREATE THE MYTH OF THE POOR GENTLE PEACEFUL MISUNDERSTOOD VICTIMS THAT EVERYBODY TREATS BADLYBy now, anybody who has investigated the 'stories' and 'photos' of recent atrocities against the Rohingya has seen and heard terrible things - BUT – most people, now, are seeing that it is all a game of deception, lies, and agenda. The photos, that supposedly show dead bodies of Rohingya are actually photos taken in Indonesia after the huge earthquake-caused tsunami, and even more sickening than that - there are gruesome photos of piles of bodies said to be Rohingya, BUT ACTUALLY they are CHRISTIAN Nigerians who were killed and burned recently by Nigerian MUSLIMS! Do your own google searches and you will see the wicked deception being used, around the world, and in many languages? (search with the words: Burma, jihad, Myanmar, genocide, Rohingya, fake photos, media manipulation, etc.).WHY THE 'ROHINGYA' SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN CITIZENSHIP IN BURMAThe Rohingya, as a collective entity, want citizenship, but DO NOT want to live in the country of Burma/Myanmar which is governed and dominated by infidels.
They have no deep history, or cultural artifacts in Arakan - different then the many other ethnicities who DO have deep roots, culture and tradition in their homeland, and importantly, unlike the Rohingya, the other ethnicities do not have the goal of ethnic purity and fanaticism to fight holy war for their goals.
The Rohingya want citizenship, but NOT so they can happily live with other religions and ethnicities around them, and NOT so they can enjoy and participate in the other people’s festivals and traditions. They want citizenship so that they can then DEMAND their own Muslim State (which will quickly push out or kill the remaining infidels) and then DECLARE independence from infidel Burma. In other words, they see citizenship as a way, eventually, to NOT be a Burmese citizen.
Giving them citizenship would lead to a much greater disaster and much more killing, as they believe it is the duty of Muslims to purify their land by driving the infidels out, and destroying the remnants of the infidel history. And, the Muslims would cause the destruction of a recognized and historical Buddhist people and culture, and world class historical sites, such as Mrauk U.
They were born into a way of life which makes them inflexible and intolerant of other people and other faiths. Their faith, which cannot be questioned or criticized, allows them to do nearly anything to any non-believer, including killing them, and raping the women. Rape of Buddhist women is very high in Rakhine State because of this attitude towards infidel women and these ‘holy verses’ of Allah’s words. Qur’an 4.24 "All married women are prohibited to you, except those whom your right hand possesses (a way to say 'Captured') as the prisoners of war, who Allah has assigned to you.
They learn that a person who leaves Islam should be killed.
Al-Azhar (Cairo) Islamic Research Academy endorsed manual of Islamic Law, Umdat al-Salik (pp. 595-96) states: "Leaving Islam is the ugliest form of unbelief (kufr) and the worst....
When a person who has reached puberty and is sane voluntarily apostasizes from Islam, he deserves to be killed. In such a case, it is obligatory...to ask him to repent and return to Islam. If he does it is accepted from him, but if he refuses, he is immediately killed."
Their faith instructs them not to be friends with non-Muslims, and not to recognize or attend their religious festival and ceremonies. Qur’an 5:51 "O You who believe, take not the non-believers (Jews, Christians, Buddhist, Hindu, etc) for friends. They are friends of each other. And who amongst you takes them for friends he is indeed one of them.
And, from a very early age they hear and learn these 'holy' words - direct from Allah (they believe) that they must live by, and pursue to please Allah, and they cannot question or criticize the words of 'Allah':
Qur’an 8:55 “Surely the vilest of beasts in Allah's sight area those who disbelieve.”
Qur’an 8:39 “So, fight them till all opposition ends and the only religion is Islam.”
Qur’an 8:59 “The infidels should not think that they can get away from us. Prepare against them whatever arms and weaponry you can muster so that you may terrorize them. They are your enemy and Allah’s enemy.”
Qur’an 9:29 "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth"
Qur’an 48:29 "Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard (ruthless) against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves"
THE BUDDHIST HAVE NO SIMILAR TEXT ANYWHERE IN THE BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES
OTHER BUDDHIST CULTURES HAVE BEEN DESTROYED THIS WAYRemember the 2 giant Buddhist statues carved into a cliff in central Afghanistan, that were blown up by the Islamic Taliban? That area, Bamiyan, was one of the earliest major Buddhist cultures. Other parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan have (or had) ancient Buddhist ruins, statues, cliff carvings, etc. Even Persia (now Iran) especially the eastern parts, had significant Buddhist peoples, temples, monasteries, stupas for many centuries - before the Muslim Arab invasions.
Why are there no Buddhist people in Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan? And, no more Buddhist ruins in Iran and Afghanistan, and the ones still in Pakistan are being destroyed now?
Because the invading Muslims considered the Buddhist to be idol worshippers, infidels, and had no respect for Buddhism, and no need to live together with them. The Buddhist were forced out or killed down to the last one. And, the holy places were destroyed.
Actually, Bangladesh has had a long and deep history of Buddhism – starting about 1000 years before Islam even existed. Based on the Pali texts, Buddhism was thee number one religion of ancient Bengal (also known as Vanga) as early as the 3rd century BC, and continued to be until the 12 century AD. There are detailed records by famous Chinese monk scholars describing many huge monasteries, intricate stone and brick temples and stupas, and many thousands of monks. When Hindu armies came to conquer and rule (and the Hindus, then, were very intolerant of Buddhist) the Buddhist started to leave, and they moved into the hills and jungles of the Chittagong area. Next came Muslim invaders - who destroyed the monasteries and temples, killed thousands of monks, and forced the population to convert to Islam, or die.
WHY THE ROHINGYA SHOULD NOT GET CITIZENSHIPSIMILARLY, TODAY, IN MAUNGDAW AND BUTHIDAUNG AREAS, ALMOST ALL OF THE MONASTERIES AND TEMPLES HAVE BEEN DESTROYED, MONKS HAVE BEEN KILLED OR DRIVEN AWAY, AND THE BUDDHIST POPULATION OF THESE AREAS CHANGED FROM MOSTLY BUDDHIST............TO ALMOST NO BUDDHIST.And if the Royingya are given citizenship then the world heritage site of Mrauk-U will fall under their control someday, and be completely destroyed.
WHY SHOULD AN ANCIENT AND DEEPLY ROOTED CULTURE AND PEOPLE HAVE TO LOSE THEIR HOMELAND, THEIR HOMES, THEIR HOLY PLACES, AND THEIR IDENTITY?
THE ROHINGYA SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN CITIZENSHIP, AND THEY DON’T DESERVE CITIZENSHIP, BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT TO BE A TRUE CITIZEN. A TRUE CITIZEN SEES HIMSELF OR HERSELF AS AN EQUAL MEMBER OF A COUNTRY, AND HAS THE DESIRE TO WORK TOGETHER, LEARN FROM EACH OTHER, AND RESPECT EACH OTHER, AND BUILD A BETTER COUNTRY FOR ALL.
IMAGINE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF MINORITY BUDDHIST PEOPLE CAME INTO A MUSLIM COUNTRY, AND MADE DEMANDS…..Let's say Buddhist starting coming into Bangladesh fifty years ago, in large numbers, pushing Muslims out of their villages and towns, slaughtering them, demanding their own independent Buddhist land? What would happen? Muslim armies would have moved quickly and killed every single one of them.
WHY REPORTERS AND OTHERS SEEM TO AUTOMATICALLY SIDE WITH THE ROHINGYA?Most reporters are writers, not historians, and seek the emotional stories of struggle, discrimination, and tragedy. Some may know about Burma, and Burmese things, but hardly any of them know about Arakan and the Rakhaing history, and the real history and massive migration of the Muslims into Arakan.
The ruling generals and their regimes could never be trusted, so it was easy to conclude the story of the Rohingya is the truth - and it had plenty of emotional and tragic stories and photos. Disturbing to the Rakhine people, most Burmese people, and those of us Westerners who know the real situation, is how easily many people believe the incredible propaganda, media manipulation, deception, use of fake photos, fake stories, etc.
And, how easy it is for many people - even those who seem to know a lot about Burma - to quickly blame the Rakhine Buddhist people, and call them racist, violent, the ‘bad’ Buddhist, etc., when it is clear to us who know, that the Rakhine Buddhist people are solidly great people, with deep Buddhist values of compassion, tolerance, and patience, and that they have a remarkable legacy, and a unique place in Buddhist history and world history. But, they are struggling with a force that intends to eliminate them, and erase their history.
There is no indication that Muslims - anywhere in the world - want to learn about, study, admire, or integrate with the Rakhine. Instead, Muslims worldwide are calling for jihad (holy war) on the Burmese and the Rakhine, and even threatening Aung San Suu Kyi.
As the Rakhine now know,
THEY CANNOT TOLERATE THE INTOLERANT!And, few reporters are willing to address the 'elephant in the room' the real force behind what is happening to the Buddhist people in Arakan and southern Thailand, and to the Christians of the Philippines and Indonesia, Lebanon and Iraq, Nigeria and Egypt, and the Bahai and Zoroastrians of Iran - and that force is - Islam.
In all these cases there is Islam - from which is drawn the justification to wage jihad on the god-less Buddhist, and the infidel Christians, and all other non-Muslims. Disturbing to those who know and have seen it, in the towns and villages where the Rohingya have a majority or near majority women must be veiled, and will be beaten if they are not veiled enough (and that includes that non-Muslim women must dress like that also) the parents of young school age girls are pressured and threatened not to send their daughters to school, and many other restrictions on women. Boys are being trained in Islamic madrassa schools in hateful and discriminatory Islamic fundamentalist dogma, and Islamic supremacy, and being thoroughly trained from a young age NOT to question or examine the Koran and the teachings, and that all non-Muslims are to be shunned and eventually eliminated, and the world will be purely Islamic someday soon.
How about some stories on these things?
NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE THE SAME, NOT ALL BELIEVE THE SAME WAYOf course, I know that all Muslims are not the same; all Muslims are not extreme, etc. But I have my experience in Muslim parts of the world: Yemen, Egypt, Turkey, Kurdistan, Albania, Indonesia, Malaysia, Muslim part of China and India......... and, yes, I am critical of Islam, and not afraid to examine it, and say so.
Muslims are people that follow a religion. As I see it, the religion has some disturbing elements to it, and it depends on how a person follows these elements or doesn’t follow them.
Most Muslims would not stone a person to death or cut off their heads, but some would, and in some parts of the world the majority would. The role of Islam in the Arakan situation cannot be ignored.
WHO SHOULD ASSIST THE ROYHINGYA? WHERE SHOULD THEY GO?Bangladesh SHOULD be the country where the Rohingya SHOULD live. But, Bangladesh refuses to let any more of them in, although many sneak in, and now Bangladesh is refusing to let aid organizations help or feed the Rohingya.
Bangladesh should be pressured and even somehow forced to take the Rohingya. There are 57 countries in the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC), but despite the wealth of some of them, not one of them - so far -is offering to pick up, transport and adopt the stateless Rohingya. What are these Muslim countries doing to help fellow muslims? Nothing. Shame on them.
Instead they are using all the fake photos and stories to stir people up, and imams and leaders are calling for severe action, and jihad against the Buddhist of Burma, and threatening to eliminate the god-less Buddhist.
Already in Malaysia and other places Muslim mobs have burst into Burmese restaurants and businesses, destroying the places and attacking and killing the Burmese. In Indonesia a violent mob nearly broke into the Burmese Embassy, and if it had succeeded it would have destroyed it and killed all the personnel.
THE ROHINGYA SHOULD ONLY BE SETTLED IN A MOSLEM COUNTRY (AND NOT IN A NON-MUSLIM PART OF A MUSLIM COUNTRY)It is not right to let them live among non-Muslims, if that makes them think that for their own goals the other people have to ‘disappear’. It is not right.
The Rohingya created their own destiny. They must deal with what they created, and take responsibility for their dilemma. It’s possible that they could create a different reality someday. I hope so.
May the Rohingya, and the world know more about Metta (Loving Kindness).
Rick Heizman (8/14/2012)
This article is based on the opinion of author and it has nothing to do with the official WTN agenda.
http://www.wontharnu.com/index.php/article/190-history-issues-and-truth-in-arakanrakhine-state-western-burma
